The present invention relates generally to a finishing compound for barrel and/or vibratory surface conditioning of metallic components, and more particularly to such a finishing compound which is capable of use with formation of only modest frothing or foaming, and further which is capable of either continuous or periodic filtration in order to separate entrained abrasive particles from the aqueous solution.
The surface conditioning of metallic components, including both ferrous and non-ferrous metallic components is a widely utilized process in industry. Mass production requires means for conditioning surfaces for either enhancing the appearance, or preparing the surface for subsequent chemical treatment, such as electroplating or painting, as well as meeting other miscellaneous functional requirements. In order to render such an operation economically feasible, means must be provided to economically condition the surfaces of the metallic components without sacrificing quality.
Because of the economic demands of material treatment, metal surface conditioning must be undertaken with a view toward minimizing expenditure of time and materials. Also, the environment must be protected from exposure to materials which may contaminate or otherwise deleteriously affect surface or subterranean water. The method and formulation of the present invention is one which permits surface conditioning to be undertaken without adversely affecting either the product quality or the environment.
Barrel and/or vibratory surface treatments have become widely recognized as a processing operation of industry. These techniques are widely accepted and have replaced in whole or in part such other labor intensive operations as belt sanding, wire brushing, hand scraping, electric or air-powered hand grinding, abrasive blasting, hand filing, buffing and the like. Those finishing operations which may be performed by either barrel or vibratory processing include cleaning, de-scaling, grinding and polishing, with this form of finishing being undertaken and completed without adversely affecting the quality of the parts being treated.
Normally, the parts to be treated are loaded into a receptacle for the barrel or vibratory element along with a finishing media and an aqueous compound. A wide variety of abrasive media are available commercially for this purpose, and the formulations of the present invention are adaptable for use with those various abrasive media which are presently utilized.